Embracing the hybrid life - The BMW X5 xDrive40e PHEV

This morning, I drove 11.5km to get to the office. I did this in a 2170kg, 4.8-meter long and 2.1-meter wide BMW X5. The journey took me 39-minutes, thanks to the morning rush. The air-conditioning was set at a cool 21.5-degrees and I listened to some music that streamed from my mobile phone. What I didn’t do though, was use any fuel.

Last night I plugged in the BMW X5 xDrive40e and went to bed. I awoke this morning with a full charge and half a tank of fuel. The fuel part is irrelevant, because I managed to make it all the way to the office without the tachometer moving off of its resting perch – 0 revolutions per minute. All the way to work.

Arriving at the office, I still had half a tank of fuel, but I also only had 39% battery life left. It wouldn’t be enough to get me all the way home, but it was enough to get me most of the way, say two-thirds, before the petrol motor kicked in and did its best to charge the batteries while getting me to my gate. The way I figure it, that is about a 70% saving on fuel costs.

Yes, we still have to pay for the electricity used to charge the batteries at night, but this is a small amount compared to the fuel that the X5 xDrive40e would be using – especially seeing as the fuel consumption figures, in real world terms, is nowhere near what BMW claims it should be. Driving it the way you would any other car will see you return figures closer to 10l/100km, rather than the 3.3 that BMW advertises.

So if the real-world application of the xDrive40e is no better than its cheaper xDrive30d, then why even bother?

Transition.

The BMW X5 xDrive40e eases us into the way of the future, twofold. It teaches us how to modify our car ownership habits and driving styles to be more efficient and more conscious about fuel usage. It also shows us that hybrid technology can successfully be married with practical, spacious and capable vehicles – they don’t all have to be futuristic pod-like contraptions.

This is quite evident when you first climb into the xDrive40e. Aside from additional displays and a single button on the center console, it’s the standard BMW X5 interior – there’s no song and dance about the fact that this car can be powered by electricity. Yes, you sacrifice a little boot space as the floor of the xDrive40e is a little higher than usual, but it’s a small compromise. The floor is a little higher because of the battery storage.

There’s a small compromise on the weight as well, which comes in at 2170kg, which is 165kg heavier than the xDrive30d. On public roads, doing the commute, you’ll hardly notice this additional weight; it will only be when you get carried away in Sport Mode around a twisty road that the additional weight will come into light.

And while the xDrive40e is equipped with xDrive all-wheel drive and a total of 230kW and 450Nm, it’s no super car, it’s a sporty SUV and needs to be driven as such.

Motor and concept wise, it’s very much like a BMW i8. A turbo-petrol motor and an electric motor drive the wheels; you can use one, the other, or both when you floor the accelerator. You can charge the batteries, either through the plug socket, or by running the motor in Save Battery or Sport mode. You can let the car decide what is most economical in Auto Mode, race around in Sport mode with the 2.0-litre TwinPower turbo motor doing all the work or swing it into Max eDrive and cruise up to 120km/h on the batteries and electric motor alone.

Unlike the BMW i8, where the electric motor sits in the nose of the car and the petrol motor behind the rear seats, the X5 xDrive40e has the petrol motor in the traditional location under the hood, and the electric motor forms part of the gearbox – another indication that BMW is constantly developing the application of hybrid technology.

The BMW X5 xDrive40e is a familiar friend. It’s not revolutionary, but is a development on the integration of hybrid technology into daily life. While it is flawed in certain areas, and compromised in others, it’s still a great daily companion.

In value for money terms, one would have to own and drive this iPerformance X5 for a fair while before it offsets its price. The BMW X5 xDrive40e M Sport retails for R1 190 600 (R1 137 000 for the non-M Sport) and sadly, doesn’t come with a high enough spec level to warrant that price, in my opinion. Sure, you’re paying for the hybrid tech, but when there is so much to choose from at that price point (with considerably more tech and convenience), the decision is a difficult one.